For the first time in 25 years, the Secretary-General Annual Report is presented in a completely new format comprising two parts. A first part ( ISBA/26/A/2) has been published as an official document of the Assembly and reports on the status of UNCLOS and related legal instruments, the status of contributions to the budget of ISA and the status of the Area. The report also summarizes the outcomes of the previous session of ISA. This first part also contains a review of the status of implementation of ISA Strategic Plan 2019-2023, its related performance indicators and the status of the high-level actions and associated outputs assigned to the secretariat under the ISA High-Level Action Plan, adopted by the Assembly in 2019.
The second part of this report has been issued in a graphical format, subtitled ‘Achieving the sustainable use of deep-sea minerals for the benefit of humankind’, documenting all the activities of ISA between July 2019 and June 2020. The graphical report is available in the working languages of the Authority: English and French. Both reports should be read together.
ISA AT A GLANCE
ISA provides an international and transparent forum to regulate and manage all mineral resources related activities and ensure protection of the marine environment in the “Area”, the deep seabed and subsoil beyond national jurisdiction, for the benefit of all humanity.
The research undertaken as part of exploration contracts in the Area is critical to realizing all aspects of the Blue Economy, including knowledge of marine biodiversity and ecological processes.
